In the Forests of the Night
by Luckynumber28
Summary: Rescue never came. Cut off from society, the boys became men ignorant of the war raging in the world outside. After a ragged seaplane crashes off shore, their lives are shattered by reality. They are part of a select group of humanity still alive. The island has become their own dystopia where human civilization will either thrive or die forever. (ralph/oc jack/oc sam/oc roger/oc)
1. By the Waterfall

Millie edged into the cave, running her fingers down the damp walls tentatively. The echo of water led her towards the waterfall on the other side of the cavern. Trembling, she brushed the damp strands of hair clinging to her face. Her fingers were pale and wrinkled from drifting in the ocean for nearly a day.

Stumbling through the sheet of water falling from above, she emerged into a clearing where the pool of water disappeared underground. The jungle was a dark emerald green, moss hanging low and dripping with humidity. Millie carefully lowered herself into the pool and wearily swam to the other side of the rocky beach. She practically dragged herself ashore. Laying on her back underneath the bright afternoon sky, she closed her eyes.

There were others depending on her. She needed to rally to continue but the weariness was taking over her bones like a disease.

She forced her eyes open and found herself staring up into a face. Millie's jaw dropped but she found that she could not scream. It was as though she were drifting in some nightmare. The face was half obscured by the fresh water clouding her vision. It was hidden also by what looked like long strands of sun bleached curls and a scraggly beard. She lifted her fingers, brushing the curtain of hair in front of the stranger's face to make sure he was real.

"Help me." Millie gasped before darkness took her sight in its seductive embrace.

* * *

** Author's Note: I used to write "Lord of the Flies" fictions when I was a young teenager and decided I needed to revisit that fandom. Reviews are great! Thank youuuuu**


	2. Cries in the Night

There was the warmth of a fire. The light flickered before her closed eyelids. Millie opened her eyes, blinking in the bright light. Her vision focused on the campfire before her, the embers glowing like the sunset on the horizon gracing the horizon beyond the jungle. Night was coming on.

Everything was sore. The driving need to help those she had left on the beach pushed her to sit up. Her head spun as she did. She knew she needed water. The shadows of the jungle about her danced like the figures in her dreams. Bracing her elbow on the ground, she tried to bring herself to a sitting position but stopped short. There was a person on the other side of the fire. At least she thought it was a person.

Firelight danced over his gaunt, leathery face. Hair fell to his shoulders in shades from honey to white blonde, the salt from the sea making it wavy. His face was obscured by a rough beard, not fully grown in. That was the only clue to her that he was not as old as he looked. He sat on his haunches, studying her with the wide eyed, steady stare of a feral animal. He wore only a worn loin cloth.

Millie held his gaze for a few moments, her heart pounding hard in her breast. She blinked, breaking the moment. The stranger stood abruptly, his brown body was sinewy with muscle though lean. Millie pulled back as he knelt beside her. She tried not to look in his face. She began to tremble again.

The stranger reached out towards her face. She closed her eyes.

"Please," Millie croaked through her dry throat, "Please, there was a plane crash."

She felt the stranger's fingers wrap themselves around the back of her neck, burying themselves in her hair.

"Yes, there was," His voice was hushed and his speech slow, "Many years ago."

Millie opened her eyes. The stranger was holding a hollow shell filled with water to her lips.

"Drink." He instructed simply.

Millie obeyed. She was struck by the fire that haunted the depths of his glass green gaze.

"How long have you been here?" She breathed after swallowing.

"I was twelve years old when we first crash landed in the sea." He replied, taking the shell away.

"We?" Millie asked tentatively.

Suddenly a strange cry rose through the jungle. The stranger's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the trees.

"We must go." He answered starting to help her to her feet.

"Wait, what is happening?" Millie asked, as he led her from the clearing.

"Can you walk?"

Millie tripped over an unearthed root before she could reply. Without waiting for an answer, he swiftly took her up in his arms and strode into the dark jungle.

The strange cries echoed through the alien landscape around them. Millie did not argue but clung to her stranger's neck. The fear rose in her throat for an unknown terror lurking in the shadows of the island. Without thinking on it, she buried her face in his neck and tried to think of pleasant things


	3. A World Quite Changed

The stranger struck the makeshift flint, casting sparks against the dried vegetation. The torch caught flame. He had set Millie on her feet in front of the cave covered by vines. Pushing aside the long hanging leaves, she was surprised by how firmly he took her hand and led her into the darkness.

Millie's eyes adjusted to the dim interior. She could make out what looked like rough pieces of furniture. As the stranger lit another torch mounted on the dry wall, she could see he had made a table and two chairs. A mound of dried leaves and moss lay in the corner of the sandy room making what she assumed was his bed. Millie rubbed her bare arms, the evening's chill seeping into her skin.

"Sit." The stranger pulled out one of the chairs.

Millie wasn't about to disobey the half wild man who was now her host. Taking her place at the table, the stranger suddenly set a banana leaf with strips of dried meat laid across it before her. His eyes were still intently on her. She glanced up warily.

"Eat."

She took a strip of the meat as the stranger sat down across from her. He folded his hands on the table before him in almost a civilized manner. Millie chewed, struggling to swallow the dry meat down her tightening throat. Her skin crawled under his gaze. She had yet to stop trembling and her head was pounding.

"Who are you?"

The question surprised her, "Who am I? Who are you is a better question for now."

The stranger blinked wordlessly, "I was called Ralph."

Millie nearly scoffed at the banality of such a name for such an individual, "Ralph?"

"Yes."

"How did you come to be here, Ralph?"

"It's my turn." He spoke abruptly, "You answer my question."

"Millie." She replied, setting the meat down on the table, "We crashed in a small plane in the reef outside the island. We were trying to make it for the next larger island so we could have a better chance."

Ralph's forehead creased in interest, "Better chance at what?"

"Survival." Millie replied, "Of course, that's all that matters now."

"What would you need to know of survival?" He asked genuinely, eyeing her healthy, well fed form.

"How long have you been here, Ralph?"

He blinked again, sitting back in his chair, "I haven't kept track of the time. The last year I knew was 1952."

Millie felt the room spin. Flashes of hot and cold had begun to wrack her body. This revelation did no good.

"It's 1963." She replied gently.

Millie swayed in her chair.

"Eleven years?" He breathed, though his face remained unfazed, "I had thought it had to be atleast a decade since the plane crash."

"You said there were others?" Millie's eyes were growing heavy but the thought of sleep was absurd.

"Later." Ralph replied, standing and walking over to her, "Sleep."

Before she could protest, he picked her up as he had done in the forest and brought her over to the small bed in the corner. Almost the moment she laid her throbbing head down, she felt sleep take over.

A watery dawn was filtering through the leaves at the entrance to the cave when she opened her eyes. The rain drops from a passing shower the night before caught the sunlight like prisms. Millie was stunned that such pure beauty could still exist in a ravaged world. Gaping, dark wounds had been blown in the earth's surface. Though she had only ever seen pictures of the destruction, Millie knew that things had changed irrevocably for humankind. Only their little pocket of the world had remained untouched.

She sat up, running a hand through her wild, tight curls. The pain in her head had subsided to a dull ache. Slowly, she made her way to the entrance of the cave.

Millie squinted into the bright sunlight, scanning the jungle around her. It had to be at least mid-morning. Her heart dropped to her stomach. They had been counting on her. Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the darkest part of the surrounding forest where the sunlight barely broke through the canopy.

"You're awake, Millie." Ralph stated as he approached, a worn knapsack slung over his bare shoulder and a rough spear with a sharp stone blade clutched in his fingers.

"And I need to get back to my friends, I left them on the beach."

Ralph's expression darkened, his eyes failing to meet her own, "There were others?"

"Yes." Millie answered urgently, "We survived the plane crash with one of our parents. Mr. Bentley was badly wounded though. I had left to find shelter and food. I must get back to them."

"I'm sorry, Millie." Ralph approached her, standing a hand's breadth away.

"For what?" She asked tentatively, unnerved by his close proximity and the way he had said those words.

Ralph's face turned stoic, "Follow me."

The walk back to the beach felt much shorter than it had in the dark. They emerged from the false night of the deep jungle onto the bright white beach. Millie could see the wreckage of the small, sea plane where it had washed ashore the jagged reef, it's wing lamely lifted into the air. A gull was perched on the only propeller above water. She could see the imprint in the sand where they had laid Mr. Bentley out. She approached it warily, the blood stains had yet to be washed away by the rising tide.

However, there were now drag marks leading into the jungle. And many more footprints than those of the six survivors she had left behind.

"They must have gone into the jungle to look for me." She breathed lamely.

Ralph came up alongside her and knelt to the sand. He traced the footprint next to the red wine drops from Mr. Bentley's open wound.

"You know that's not true." Ralph stood, looking out towards the plane.

"What then-"

"The Hunters."

* * *

_The Night Before_

The blindfolds were ripped from their eyes.

Evelyn's feet were raw from being dragged for what felt like hours. However, soon the sound of the waves could be heard again. She could feel the ground change to hard stone underneath her as they were led up an ascent. The chanting grew louder, the voices clearly male and young.

Evelyn blinked in the light of a bonfire, sparks reaching to the cloudless night. The chanting had died the moment they could see. She and the others had been forced to their knees. Mr. Bentley had disappeared.

They were surrounded on all sides by a half circle of dark figures, their painted faces monstrous in the weak light. Alice was gasping beside her.

One individual came forward into the center of the circle. He was one of the taller figures with a barreled chest. His face was half obscured by dark paint that ran up into his wild, thick red hair that fell past his shoulders. The smirk on his full lips loosened as he approached them.

Evelyn recoiled violently as he reached out to touch her. A grim smile spread across his mouth. His hand shot out, grabbing her roughly by the upper arm and bringing her to her feet. Holding her tightly, the savage ran the fingers of his free hand through the strands of auburn curls laying over her shoulder.

"A red queen." He murmured, "Finally the day has come."


	4. Dawn on Castle Rock

The man who had once been known as Jack strode towards the heavily guarded shelter in the pale sunrise. The grey sea was calm that morning, crashing against the ageless roots of Castle Rock. Their settlement on the crown of the impressive monolith had evolved since the years they had scrounged a living off its bare surface as children. The man who had once been Roger had surmised that they had called the island home for ten years now.

A collection of youths with impressive spears much more deadly than the simple sharped sticks they had once wielded stood at attention as their chief approached. Their taut bodies were completely covered in a fresh layer of grey clay, streaks of red and black decorating their faces. These were the boys who had survived the years on the island since they had been stranded as children. They wore various animal skins and furs. Some of them had shaved their heads into Mohawk fashion, the sides of their bare skulls covered by paint as well. There was no remnant of their lives before as British school boys to be seen. They had reverted to the look of their Pict, Celt and Viking ancestors with a leader whose hair was of flame.

Their chief wore a skirt of finished animal skin that reached to his knees. A necklace of shark teeth lay on his bare chest. Like his men, his entire body was covered in grey clay. The youths at the entrance to the shelter moved aside as he motioned them away silently. His painted face was clean of hair, shaved by a sharpened shell. Pushing aside the layer of woven reeds serving as a door, he entered the darkened room.

A small opening in the roof allowed enough grey light for him to see the captives. They had long waited for this day as it had been prophesied by the one who was once Roger.

He had forgotten what women looked like.

There were three, two as alike in face and form as the one who was once Sam had been with his brother Eric. The other with the bright hair straightened as he entered, pushing the young boy behind her with her elbow. He could be dealt with later.

The chief knelt down in front of the captive, studying her like a hawk eyes a rodent. He ran a finger down her jawline, her skin burning from the contact. She flinched, her expression frenzied despite how bone weary she felt.

"I've waited for you." He murmured, catching her gaze.

"What do you want with us?" She demanded, her voice rough from thirst and a lack of sleep, "We crash landed. We need help. Where is Dr. Bentley?"

The chief cocked his head to the side, his forehead creasing in thought at the barrage of questions, "There is no help out there."

"There are still pockets of humans in this part of the world," She answered, "We are not totally alone."

"We have been here for over ten years. Civilization has forgotten us."

"What civilization?" She demanded.

The chief's expression became heavy, "What do you mean, woman?"

"You say you've been here ten years." She gasped, her younger brother burying his face in her back, "That means you were alive when the first bomb was dropped. Remember London?"

The chief rose to his feet, disturbed by the name of the city he had once called home. It was now just a distant, fuzzy memory.

"What of it?"

"The war is over now. There were three more bombs dropped."

"And who won your war?" He spit, pacing in front of them.

"No one."

The chief stopped hard in his tracks, "So there it is. The rescue we had once longed for and then feared, it will never come."

He spoke this to the air, his eyes trailing up to the skylight where clouds trailed over the morning sky. He seemed to forget their presence.

"Who are you?" She breathed, looking up at him.

The young man turned towards her, seeming to suddenly remember them, "I am called Aeod by my men. I am their chief."

The way he said this made her skin crawl, "Is that what your mother named you?"

Aeod, once called Jack, gave her a smirk that shook her heart, "No. It is my true name."


	5. The Red Queen

Millie could hear the groaning as she burst through the jungle. Ralph had tried to convince her to give up; that whatever had taken her companions was unmerciful. By pursing them, she was putting herself in more danger than she could imagine. He had stopped begging her after a half hour and now followed her through the steaming tropical forest.

"Be still, Millie." Ralph put a hand to her arm, slowing her to a halt.

The moaning was human and sounded to be coming from a collection of boulders nearby. Before Millie could take a step, Ralph bounded over to where the sound came from.

"It is a man." Ralph spoke as Millie caught up to him.

It was Dr. Bentley, Alice and Hazel's father. His crumpled form lay in the mess of sod and dead foliage, his handsome face pale and gaunt from loss of blood. His leg had stopped bleeding from the tourniquet that Evelyn had tied above his knee but it was badly broken. His eyes struggled to open.

"We must get him back to my shelter." Ralph stated firmly, picking up the professor of Anthropology as though he weighed no more than Millie did.

By the time they had gotten him back to the cave, Dr. Bentley had lost consciousness once more. Millie's stomach rolled as Ralph tore away the leg of the wounded man's khakis to reveal his broken shin. The bones were clearly jagged underneath the yellowing skin. Ralph's face was stony.

"Best we can do for now is make him comfortable." Ralph stated simply, walking over to get the doctor a shell full of fresh water.

It was later in the evening when he came around once again.

Millie had fallen asleep in the corner of the cave. Ralph's eyes occasionally trailed over to her where she lay curled up. Her dark, springy curls created a halo around her long face, accented by high cheek bones and pursed lips. Her skin was the color of sun dried bark. It was clear she came from a mixed lineage. She was the most beautiful thing he had seen in ten years.

The hand of the wounded man shot up, grasping Ralph's neck. Ralph gasped, his hands tearing at the wrist of the delirious man. Dr. Bentley glared up at him feverishly with blood shot eyes.

"Where are my daughters?" He growled through clenched teeth.

Ralph gulped for air.

"Dr. Bentley!" Millie stirred from her light sleep and raced over to them, "He is here to help!"

The professor fell back, his chest heaving and eyelids fluttering. Ralph fell back onto the cave floor, trying to catch his breath.

"Dr. Bentley, where are the others?" Millie asked, coming up alongside him.

"They took them." He growled, "Like monsters in the night, the natives of this island."

"They are not natives." Ralph croaked between coughs.

Dr. Bentley glared at him, "What do you mean? They moved and looked like the natural inhabitants of this place."

"They are former British school boys." Ralph explained sitting up, "As am I."

Dr. Bentley looked doubtful, "I remember hearing of a plane full of boys crashing some ten years ago but it was believed all had been lost."

"I suppose we were lost but not in the way you mean." Ralph replied enigmatically, "My name is Ralph Murdoch. Or at least it was. The hunters who took your companions last night, they are what remains of the survivors. Their leader is a man who was once called Jack Merridew but now he goes by another name, Aeod."

Millie trembled, the horror of their existence lurking beneath Ralph's words. Dr. Bentley sat up, his academic fascination overriding the intense pain of his leg.

"They had formed their own society." He murmured, "So it is possible. There is hope for survival for us as a species."

"Survival yes, but not hope." Ralph spit, "There is no hope at Castle Rock."

"Castle Rock?"

"The pinnacle of stone at the other end of the island. It is where they dwell and where your fellow companions will be kept, I wager." Ralph stood, "How many are there?"

"Four," Millie replied, "There are Dr. Bentley's twin daughters, Hazel and Alice, and Evelyn Blackman who is my age and her eight year old brother, Garrett."

Ralph winced.

"Will this Jack character kill my daughters?" Dr. Bentley laid back down on the moss.

"No, they are a precious commodity." Ralph replied, "I wager that Roger has concocted some bogus revelation concerning their coming."

"Roger?"

"That was once his name. He is Aeod's right hand. He is now called Madoc."

"Is he the shaman to Jack Merridew's chief?" Dr. Bentley asked evenly.

"I suppose you could say that." Ralph replied.

The professor nodded, grimacing, "How did you come to be here instead of at Castle Rock?"

"Luck."

* * *

Thankfully, Garrett had fallen into a fitful sleep as soon as the one called Aeod had left them. Evelyn smoothed back her brother's fair hair from his face. Though they were nearly fifteen years apart in age, the Blackman siblings were close. Alice and Hazel looked as weary as she felt but none of the girls could let themselves rest. Their hands bound behind their backs, they were ignorant of their fate.

None of them dared breathe the fear that filled their brains.

These were young men who hadn't seen a woman in years. The possibility of rape was very real. Evelyn was grimly surprised it had not happened yet. She wondered if the only thing that stayed their hand was the Chief. The way he had looked at her made her guess he had different plans for them.

Near evening, the covering at the door was torn away. A few of the guards at the door burst in, awakening Garrett. They picked up Evelyn, tearing her away from her brother's grasp.

"Evie!" Garrett cried before one of the warriors savagely kicked him to the hard ground.

"Don't hurt him!" Evelyn screamed, the twins struggling to get to the young boy.

She was quickly dragged out into the darkening square. They had constructed crude buildings mostly of wood and vegetation. However, at the highest point of the rock stood an impressive shelter of stone. Evelyn shivered. Before the building, a stake with a bare animal skull was pitched into the ground.

They led her up the short steps to the broadly arched door. The interior was dark and smoky. A fire burned brightly at the heart of the large room. Before it was a large stone chiseled into what looked like a throne. Aeod sat there with two other prominent figures at his sides. Evelyn guessed they ranked closer to the chief than the others in their small society's hierarchy. One of them approached Evelyn as the guards loosed her roughly.

He was tall, about the same height as the chief. About his neck, the jaw bone of an unknown animal was hung on a necklace. Only the skin around his dark eyes was clean of paint. His lips were covered with black paint. His jet black hair lay on his shoulders. He was slimmer in build than Aeod. However, there was a hunger in his countenance than made Evelyn prefer the savage chief.

He lifted Evelyn's chin with his knuckle gently, "This is the one?"

"Yes." Aeod voice echoed with authority from across the room.

The stranger took a strand of her hair between his fingers, "The red queen?"

"It is as you foretold."

His eyes flickered up to meet her gaze, "Yes, I suppose you are."

"What do you mean?" Evelyn breathed, "Who is this red queen?"

"You are, woman." The man let her go, circling her, "The one I saw in a vision to continue Aeod's line."

Evelyn swallowed hard, her eyes shooting up to where Aeod sat. The chief lifted his chin and arched a brow.

"His line?"

"So that all will know Aeod's seed," He explained calmly as though it should make perfect sense, "Aeod's red queen."

Evelyn looked back at the chief to see him rise in his throne. The firelight reflected off his bright red hair. She suddenly realized what he meant.

"A red queen so that our children will carry our red hair into the next generation." She ventured quietly.

The dark character she assumed was second in command stopped in front of her, smiling subtly, "Yes, my queen."

"I am not your queen."

"Not yet." Aeod approached, his hands at his back, "That's enough, Madoc. The girl has suffered enough inspection."

"Yes, Chief." Madoc bowed his head in well-practiced submission, his snakelike eyes trailing over her once more in interest before turning away.

Aeod took his place before her, a hands breadth from her. He stood head and shoulders over her. Reaching out, he touched her chin with his thumb, his other fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck. Evelyn held her breath and dared meet his eyes.

"If I cut your bonds, will you promise me not to run away?" He ran his thumb down her neck, resting his hand at the hollow of her throat. His voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear, "This island is mine and I will find you wherever you run."

Evelyn swallowed, "Yes."

Aeod smiled, taking a short stone knife from his waist and circling to her back. Evelyn's breathing became shallow as he cut the reeds that held her wrists. She didn't dare move as he ran the edge of the blade down the underside of her arm.

"I promise to always find you." He breathed into her hair from behind.

"I believe you." She answered quietly.

"Good."

Aeod moved before her once more. His breathing had grown more labored as well. Evelyn rubbed her sore wrists where the reeds had bit into the skin.

"So you are to take me as your mate?" Evelyn asked bluntly.

"Mate sounds so animal like."

"That's what you are, isn't it?" The statement flew from her lips before she could stop it.

"I can be if you wish it, woman." Aeod replied huskily, closing the distance between them again.

Evelyn turned her eyes down in submission. The expression seemed to please the chief. He wrapped his fingers in her dark red hair once again.

"You will stay here tonight." He spoke.

"With you?" She fought the fear rising in her throat.

"In your own chamber for now."

"And what of my friends?"

Aeod retreated, glancing back at the two by his throne; Madoc and the unnamed, grave faced man.

"They will be treated well, don't fear." Madoc answered, his smile grim.

The other, stony faced warrior did not speak. A large, imposing figure, his dark hair had been cut in the Mohawk fashion she had seen on others. Black paint covered most of his face hiding his expression. He was terrifying to look upon.

"Tomorrow, the preparations will begin." Aeod continued, striding back to his throne.

"Preparations?" Evelyn asked warily, the guards coming up alongside her.

"At the next full moon, you will become my queen." Aeod answered calmly, waving a finger for her to be taken away.


	6. The Promise of a Chief

Hazel emerged into the new day, Alice trailing behind her with Garrett clinging to her. Evelyn had never returned the night before and she tried not to fear the worst. Hazel warily glanced around her as the guards led them towards the impressive stone building.

Alice cried aloud as they saw their friend emerge from the building.

Evelyn was led by the presumed leader of the band of hunters, the one who had introduced himself as Aeod. He grasped her upper arm tightly in his large hand. Behind him walked two other figures, their faces garishly painted. Hazel sensed Alice shrink back fearfully behind her.

"Dear guests." Aeod called out.

Evelyn nodded to Hazel as though to confirm that she was well. The other warriors gathered about them. Hazel guessed there were at least forty healthy, strong young men aging from their mid-teens to early twenties. However, she could not be sure for the clay covering their bodies.

Aeod loosed Evelyn. The flame haired girl crossed her arms over her chest, smiling encouragingly at her little brother.

One of the prominent figures by the chief abruptly stepped forward.

Hazel shivered under his intense gaze that seemed to be trained on her. He moved forward like a man in a dream. His eyes were jet orbs that took her in hungrily. Hazel stood straighter, not daring to look away as he came before her. She lifted a heavy dark eyebrow, setting her jaw hard in an attempt to not appear weak.

"Skin like the moon." He breathed, lifting a hand to her face but not touching, "A heart like flint."

Hazel blinked, his fingers hovering down over her thin shoulders. His eyes were feverish, as though he wasn't really seeing her. His long hair, the color of midnight, lay against his painted chest. He was leaner than the Chief and yet of the same height.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded, her voice cracking as she spoke.

The expression on his face lifted, the light of consciousness returning to his eyes. A smirk played at his painted mouth.

"What are you called?" He asked absently.

"What does it matter to you?" She asked defiantly, "We are your prisoners."

"You are much more than a prisoner, I assure you." He replied with genuine note to his voice that made Hazel unable to take her eyes from him.

He nodded to the guards nearby. Silently they came forward and swiftly cut the bonds of the twins and Garrett.

"I am called Madoc." He spoke firmly, "I stand at the right hand of the Chief and advise him. I read the stars and tell him what they show me."

Aeod moved forward, leaving Evelyn on the last step of the wild blown building by the third silent figure.

"Your coming was foretold to us long ago by Madoc." Aeod stated, "Before we received our true names. Your companion here has agreed to become my queen."

Hazel's gaze snapped over to her friend. Evelyn's face was stoic as the man spoke.

"You can't do that." Hazel replied evenly, her voice taking on an edge, "This isn't the dark ages."

"According to your friend here, we might as well be in them." Madoc replied coming up alongside her.

Hazel shivered in this tight proximity to the self-proclaimed seer. Madoc stood at her shoulder, looking down into her face. Hazel kept her eyes forward.

"Is it true that the world outside has nearly been destroyed by war?" He asked quietly.

Heat traveled up Hazel's neck and to her face under his close scrutiny. She could almost feel his eyes crawl across her skin.

"Yes. But we are still to act like civilized human beings." Hazel answered.

"I have found that civilized is a relative term."

"If she is to be your chief's lady, what is to happen to us?" Hazel asked directly, turning her eyes on him.

His presence had a certain magnetism to it. She had a hard time admitting that though she was repulsed by the situation, Hazel was intrigued by Madoc even within minutes of meeting him. Madoc didn't reply, his lips parted slightly before turning into a close lipped smile.

"What about Millie?"

Garrett's voice rang out across the small courtyard shattering the moment. The moment between Hazel and Madoc broke as his eyes shot over to the young boy. He looked over at Aeod pointedly. Aeod approached Garrett, Alice's grip on the boy's shoulder tightening. Evelyn lurched forward but did not dare move from where she stood.

Aeod knelt to Garrett's level.

"Who is Millie?" The savage king asked gently, "Answer me quick, child."

Garrett's face paled and his hands fidgeted at his sides.

"She is my sister's friend. Millie went into the forest to find food after we reached the beach." He replied, his eyes falling to the ground, "She didn't come back."

Aeod nodded, rising to his feet, "Wise choice in speaking up, boy."

Madoc joined him as they walked over to the third, Spartan figure by Evelyn.

"There is possibility the fourth girl is lost somewhere in the jungle." Madoc offered in covert tones.

"Or she could have found _him_." Aeod's tone became dark and the third figure clenched his fists.

"The Usurper." Madoc breathed hotly.

"I will lead a group of my best into the jungle." The third stranger spoke, his tone riddled with anger.

"What about the captives?" Madoc asked.

Aeod looked back at the three where they stood at the center of the circle of onlookers that had gathered.

"Madoc, you seem to know the one you spoke with?" Aeod nodded towards Hazel.

Madoc glanced back and shivered slightly, "She is the other one that has been foretold."

"You will take her to your home as your own."

Madoc smiled quietly, "I thank you, chief."

"The other one will go with you, Ruarc." Aeod spoke looking at his silent companion.

"I do not want her." The one called Ruarc answered, his deep voice dark with emotion.

Aeod laughed suddenly, slapping a hand on his head hunter's thick, muscled shoulder. Ruarc was the largest of the three of them.

"You will have her just the same." Aeod spoke in a tone that put an end to the conversation.

"What of the child?"

Aeod looked back at the boy. He recalled the countless little ones when they had first landed. The majority of the youngest ones had died within the first two years of their life on the island. The strongest had survived. Some even stood nearby, younger hunters with fierce expressions. He had no patience to raise another boy in his tribe.

"Leave him to the hunters to do with as they will." Aeod answered savagely, "It will distract them for a time."

"I shall leave as soon as night comes." Ruarc commented, bowing his head.

The counsel of three were torn from their conversation as Alice let out an unearthly scream. Aeod looked over to see that Evelyn had abandoned her spot beside them. The anger flaring in his blood turned to caution when he found her standing at the very edge of Castle Rock, perched above the jagged stones below.

Evelyn's wild eyes were wide as the violent wind whipped the ragged remains of her blue t-shirt around her torso. Strands of her hair flew from before her face and trailed behind her as the air changed direction. Her hands flexed loose at her sides. She looked like a bird about to take flight.

Aeod held a hand back to Madoc and Ruarc, motioning them to stay put. He did not look away from Evelyn as he cagily approached her.

"What did you promise me last night, woman?" He asked, his voice simmering with irritation at her rebellion, "I will find you wherever you run."

"I will not run, Aeod." She answered, her voice shaking slightly.

She edged the heel of her foot back farther towards the edge. Aeod stopped.

"I will merely fall." She finished her threat.

"Then why don't you do it?" Aeod asked fiercely, "Why wait?"

Evelyn's eyes trailed over to where her brother stood, Alice's arms wrapped tightly around him as they watched the scene play out.

"I will walk to you." She replied, "I will live and be your queen. Only keep my brother safe or I swear I will throw myself from this height."

"What does it matter to me whether you live or die?"

"It obviously very clearly matters to you."

Aeod took another step forward, his hand still outstretched.

"Where will your next red queen come from, Aeod?" She inquired fiercely, "On a half burnt planet, only one plane landing remotely close to the island in ten years, what are the chances? It seems I am your red queen of Madoc's prophecy and I only require one thing from you; a promise."

Aeod grimaced, knowing she spoke the truth, "Well? What is this vow I must take?" He spit.

"You will keep my brother safe from abuse. Don't think I don't know what you spoke of with your advisers." Evelyn lifted her chin, "I ask that you swear it."

The wind cried out from the sharp cliffs below. Aeod knew she was serious from her expression and there would be no chance of her survival if she did jump.

"Very well." He answered with a nod, "I promise."

"You give me your word as the Chief?"

"Yes, as the chief."

Evelyn's jaw loosened as she stepped forward. Aeod did not move until she had walked clear of the dangerous cliff. He marched towards her, grasping her by the throat but not tightening his grip. He could feel the veins in her neck rush with blood. She breathed through her nose. He noted absently that her green eyes had sparks of gold in them.

"You will not defy me as such again." He threatened in a low voice.

"No, I will not." Evelyn replied.

Aeod was surprised as she reached out and laid a small, shapely hand on his bare chest over his heart. The flame haired chief tried to keep his breathing under control at her touch.

"I will keep my promise to you, Aeod." Evelyn breathed.

"And I will keep mine to you." Aeod found himself replying under her gaze, "My queen."


	7. A Storm Off the Sea

Night descended quickly. The captives were led back to the hut where they had been originally imprisoned. Soon, the rhythmic rush of surf on stone lulled Hazel into a dreamless sleep. Alice dozed off next to her, Garrett curled in her arms. The bone white moon was visible from the skylight above them when the hunters burst into the hut. Brandishing spears and torches, they viciously dragged Alice from her sister and Garrett.

"Hazel," Alice's voice rose shrilly as she spoke, "Hazel- what –where are they-"

Hazel reached out futilely for her sister as they were torn away in separate directions. Garrett began to cry where he lay on the hard rock. In a desperate attempt, Hazel stood and rushed the door where Alice had disappeared. She struck the guard hard across the face and kicked at her ensuing attackers, clawing and biting where she could as they surrounded her.

"Be still." A commanding voice broke through the chaos.

Strong hands grasped Hazel's wrists, pulling her upright. The hunters parted, revealing Madoc in the torchlight.

"Be still, Flint Heart." His rich voice rolled over her as he drew close.

Hazel met his eyes fiercely, "What kind of place is this?"

"The last stand for our species, if you are correct in what you tell us." Madoc answered evenly as he tugged her close, his narrow gaze taking her in hungrily.

"What are you going to do with her?" Hazel demanded, inwardly refusing to shirk under his examination.

"She'll be taken care of, as will the boy."

Without taking his eyes from Hazel's face, he jerked his head towards Garrett. One of the hunters stepped forward and picked him up roughly. Garrett struggled as he was thrown over the tall youth's shoulder and carried out of the hut.

"His sister has won his life." Madoc interjected before Hazel could speak.

"And where will I go?" Hazel breathed, realizing they were left alone in the hut.

Madoc was silent as he let go of one of her wrists. Reaching into the satchel at his waist, he took a fresh, dark red blossom from the animal hide. Hazel's gaze wavered slightly as he tucked the bloom above her ear.

"You may come with me if you wish it."

Hazel was stunned by the question. He loosed her other wrist and stood patiently, his hands folded before him.

"You are asking me…not telling me?" Hazel warily ventured, rubbing her wrists.

"I am not like Aeod. Winning myself a mate by threats and bargains is not my way." He shrugged.

Hazel studied him, realizing in the half shadow that he was not wearing his face paint. He looked almost normal; a dark, long haired young man with hollowed cheeks created by sharp cheek bones and a strong, rounded chin. His lips were thin but not unattractive as they rose in a closed mouth smile. Hazel paced slightly, her eyes not leaving him as she cradled her wrists to her breast.

"What will happen if I say no?"

"Well, you won't be allowed to stay here any longer, you must take your chances in the jungle."

"What is in the jungle?"

Madoc's eyes flickered to the floor briefly, "Darkness, hunger and beasts."

"And if I stay…here with you?"

Madoc shrugged, "That is something we must discover for ourselves."

Hazel nodded. She considered the jungle at the doorstep to Castle Rock. Being dragged through it the night before had been more than she was willing to experience. She had never liked the South Pacific as her sister did. The heat, insects and storms were all too unpredictable for her taste. It was poisonous corner of the world. Ironically, it was now the only one left untouched by nuclear war.

She absently touched the satin petals of the flower in her hair.

"You say you will not take a mate with bargains or bribes." Hazel approached him brazenly, standing inches apart, "If you mean what you say, will you give me time to…get to know you?"

Madoc nodded, his mouth morphing into a smirk, "That could be arranged."

* * *

Evelyn stood at the carved window looking out on the sea. There were wood shutters on the inside of the room for when storms came in. She had to admit, the adaptability and progress they had made with virtually nothing to their advantage was impressive. Fiddling with her fingertips, she paced the darkened room. She eyed the clothing laid out on the large cot by the window. It was some kind of animal hide tanned and cured very well and sewn into a dress.

There came a knock at the wooden door. Evelyn fought off rolling her eyes. As though she had any other choice than welcome whoever it was in.

"You can come in." She barked, not ceasing from pacing.

Evelyn turned to see Garrett running into the chamber.

"Evie!" He yelled throwing his arms around her middle.

Evelyn dropped to her knees, her eyes wide and filling with tears, "You're here!"

Pulling him into her arms, she cradled his sobbing form. Evelyn opened her eyes. She glanced towards the door through the mist of tears. A figure moved out of the shadows. She cringed inwardly but managed a weak smile to Aeod just the same. He nodded, looking down at the ground briefly.

"Just as I promised." He crossed the threshold, his hands at his back.

Evelyn stood, a hand laid firmly on her brother's thin shoulder. She lifted her chin, scrutinizing him. He had donned a loose brown hide vest over his proud chest. He looked pleased with himself; as though he had done good by her. It was sickening.

"He will stay in the room adjacent to you." Aeod continued, one of his men entering past him.

Garrett cried out as the hunter tried to drag him towards the door.

"Not so harshly." Aeod corrected firmly to his man.

"Garrett." Evelyn spoke calmly, her brother looking over at her with the same green gold eyes, "I will not be far. Do as you are told."

Her heart beat hard in her breast but she let her breath out as Garrett tightened his jaw and turned without a fight towards the door.

"He is devoted to you, isn't he?" Aeod asked as soon as they were alone.

"We are close." Evelyn allowed, casting a cold glance in his direction.

Without waiting for a further response, she ventured towards the window. Somewhere in the distance, she could see a storm brewing over the darkened sea. Flashes of light filled black, pregnant clouds. She wondered how long it would be till the tempest reached them. Evelyn tried not to shrink away as Aeod came up behind her. She steeled herself as he laid his hands on the sides of her arms, the steady rise and fall of his chest right at her back.

"Are you pleased with your accommodations?" He asked in a low voice, leaning his mouth down towards her ear.

"They are nice, considering the circumstances." She managed, biting her tongue.

She knew her part to play. If Garrett was to remain healthy and whole, she would have to placate to the wild king's whims. Evelyn closed her eyes, trying to focus on the idea of Garrett vulnerable and scared just feet away. Aeod ran his hands down her arms, cupping her fingers in his large palms.

"If there is anything you need, you have only to speak it." He continued.

"The full moon," She stated firmly, untangling herself from his embrace to face him, "How many days away."

"In five days' time."

Evelyn attempted a smile, "Perhaps then we should refrain from being alone until then?"

There was the slight possibility the short window of time could allow them a chance at escape. If she could keep the mad chief at arm's length, she could escape the whole thing unscathed. If salvation did not come, she knew what she would have to do.

Aeod eyed her collar bone. Reaching out, he fished the delicate silver chain from around her neck out of her shirt collar. He eyed the ornament at the end.

"A star?"

"Of David." Evelyn swallowed hard, "Garrett and I are Jewish."

Aeod's expression registered understanding, "I had forgotten such things as religion."

"Obviously not completely," Evelyn took the star from his hands and hiding it once more underneath her shirt, "What with your visions and prophecies."

"That is different from a service in church…or…what are you holy houses called?"

"Synagogue."

"Ah yes," His countenance lightened with memory, "A synagogue."

Evelyn shifted as thunder rolled across the sea behind her. Aeod seemed to awaken from his reminiscences.

"Very well, as you wish." Aeod gave a short nod of his head, "Till morning then."

* * *

Alice was completely disoriented as she was thrust into a darkened hut. The hunters shut the heavy, wooden door behind them. Alice crawled across the dirt floor to the corner, pulling her legs up tightly into her chest. Trembling violently, she tried to ignore the sound of distant thunder. A whisper of irrational fear told her that it was prophesying doom.

Soon the rain came down hard on the hut's roof. Alice wept bitterly, though she was ashamed to do so. She had always been the more sensitive twin; crying over floating, inert goldfish and dead rodents on the side of the road as a child. She couldn't understand how Hazel managed to keep her emotions in check so easily.

Wiping her nose with the tattered back of her cardigan sleeve, she stood on shaking legs. Feeling her away blindly around the walls of the hut, she discovered it was larger than she had thought with rough furnishings that she tripped over.

Abruptly, the door tore open, letting in a barrage of harsh rain and wind. She shrieked, unable to make out the details of the massive form silhouetted against the storm. The door shut firmly, leaving her and the stranger alone in the dark. Alice dove into the corner, cowering and shivering violently.

The figure stomped towards what looked like a table in the shadows. There was the sound of a flint being struck and then a burst of light. Alice blinked, her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. It was the hunter, the one who had stood with the one called Aeod at the stairs. However, the paint on his face was smearing off, dripping black droplets off his dimpled chin. He did not look at her as he moved towards his cot.

"Here."

He threw something that looked like a blanket at her before throwing himself onto the cot and falling into a deep sleep.


	8. A Guiding Light

Millie dabbed Dr. Bentley's forehead at the pearls of sweat gathering between his dark eyebrows. He had fallen into a fitful sleep early that morning. His leg was no better. Ralph had attempted to bind the wound but without penicillin, it seemed hopeless. Millie wondered what they could do for him once the infection grew out of control. She shuddered to think of his drawn out suffering but still could not bring herself to consider the alternative.

"Look what washed up on the shore."

Millie turned from the side of the dying man. Ralph had spirited into the cave dwelling, under his arms were two leather suitcases. She smiled quietly.

"Could there be anything in here? Medical supplies of some kind?" Ralph set them down on the cave floor and fiddled with the locks.

"I think those are Dr. Bentley's but they are personal things." She replied, standing and walking over to him.

"Here, take these…"

Millie and Ralph looked over towards Dr. Bentley. He struggled to open his eyes a slit. Weakly, he lifted a hand towards the breast pocket of his shirt. Ralph approached him, helping him retrieve a ring of small keys. The exertion was almost too much for him and immediately he fall back into unconsciousness. Ralph brought the ring over to the suitcases.

"We'll have to make sure." He stated firmly, crouching once more by the water logged cases, "He is a doctor after all."

"Not that kind of doctor."

The lock snapped open, "What do you mean."

Millie joined him down on the cave floor as they opened the suitcase, "He is an academic. Dr. Bentley, my parents, Evelyn and Garrett's mother and father; they are all doctors of anthropology and sociology. They have been studying the peoples of the South Pacific with a grant from a university in the States."

"How long have you lived here?"

"I have been here all my life, Evelyn's family moved here ten years ago and the Bentleys in just the past three years." Millie tucked a mass of tight curls behind her ear as she pulled a black leather toiletry bag from the suitcase and unzipped it, "Ah, look here."

She held up a glass bottle of aspirin and lifted an eyebrow at Ralph. He nodded, taking it from her hand, their fingers brushing slightly.

"It couldn't hurt." He shrugged.

After some effort, they managed to have the incoherent Dr. Bentley take the pills down with some water. The rest of the day dragged on painfully. His leg swelled in the jungle heat, the flesh taking on a sickly green tinge. However, the medicine seemed to help to alleviate the pain slightly. Though his fever raged, Dr. Bentley slept less restlessly. They remained quiet, fear filling their hearts at the thought of the future. By nightfall, Millie had dozed off in the corner at Ralph's urging that she get some rest.

"She is a lovely girl, isn't she?"

Ralph turned from where he had watched her sleep in the weak firelight. Dr. Bentley's expression was lucid, his eyes on the young man. Without replying, Ralph reached for a shell of water. He helped the man drink deeply.

"Her parents, they were not both white." Ralph stated blatantly.

"No," Dr. Bentley shook his head, "Her mother is of mixed race herself; black and Hispanic, I believe. Her parents met at University. Of course, they couldn't remain in the States as a family nor did they wish to. They are passionately in love with their work. From what they have told me, they moved to the South Pacific when Millie was a toddler."

Ralph nodded, seeing to the Doctor's leg, trying to ignore the man's steady gaze on him.

"When I'm dead," Dr. Bentley stated factually, "I expect you to keep her safe. If what you say of the boys on Castle Rock is true, I can only assume my daughters, Garrett and Evelyn are lost to me."

"Not necessarily," Ralph replied, unfazed by Dr. Bentley's tone, "There is the possibility they are safe and whole. Jack Merridew is a savage but he isn't stupid. If he hears about the state of the world from them, the realization that the girls are a precious commodity on this island could keep them safe. It is the boy Garrett I fear for."

"Evelyn will fight tooth and nail for that kid," Dr. Bentley grimaced as Ralph poured water over his throbbing leg, "The toxicity is getting worse, it's only a matter of time now."

"What would you have me do?" Ralph looked up at Dr. Bentley, his gaze unwavering.

Dr. Bentley met the young man's clear cut blue eyes, "When it becomes too much, you'll know when, take me into the jungle. Don't let Millie see. Do it while she sleeps."

"And if I see your daughters again?"

Dr. Bentley's gaunt face softened, "Tell them to be strong, especially Alice. She's always had a tendency to depend on her sister. In a time such as this, she needs to learn how to stand on her own. And tell Hazel, not to harden herself. I can see such events turning her to stone."

"And Millie?"

Dr. Bentley met his gaze evenly, "Don't believe for a moment that I don't know what young men think about. Remember there are consequences to your actions. Emotions have a way of clouding reason, even as the world is going to rot."

Ralph shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, "Please don't think I'm as brutal as those on Castle Rock."

"I don't," Dr. Bentley's eyelids drooped, "But I also think you are both human. At least for now, allow reason to be your guiding light. As our world crumbles, it's all we'll have left before we are reduced to animals."

After two more days, Dr. Bentley fell into what seemed to be a coma. His leg bloated, the flesh gathering the attention of flies. Millie pressed a tore undershirt from his suitcase to her nose to ward off the smell as she fanned the insects away with a frond. Soon, his breathing began to quicken, his heart beating as though he were running a marathon. His temperature raged out of control.

Millie tossed restlessly, trying to block out the strangled moans coming from Dr. Bentley as she attempted to rest. Ralph was relentless, constantly at the man's side administering what was left of the aspirin. They were down to the last two pills.

After he heard Millie's breathing even out in sleep, Ralph tried to give him what was left of the medicine. Half crazed with pain, the Doctor pushed away the pills.

"Save them…for when they are needed…" He gasped, his gaze bloodshot, "Go look in the bottom of the second suitcase, there is a... compartment."

Ralph did as he was told. Digging through the clothing, his fingers stumbled on a hidden latch. Clicking it open, his fingers grasped cool steel. He pulled a gun from the suitcase. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen one. After years of mere wooden and stone spears with the occasional bow and arrow, the power behind the weapon terrified him.

"It is time." Dr. Bentley managed, his eyes falling shut.

Ralph understood enough, his insides quaking. Despite all he had seen in his years on the island, the murders of Simon and Piggy, the gruesome death of Eric, and the brutality of countless others, he had never set out to purposefully harm anyone. However, anything was better than watching Dr. Bentley die a slow and painful death without hope of rescue.

He picked up the violently trembling body of the doctor as though he weighed nothing and carried him silently into the darkness of the jungle.

Millie bolted upright from a deep sleep into a lonely darkness. The jungle outside was alive with frenzied sound. Whatever had disturbed her was causing the natural world to quake. She searched her foggy memory and recognized the sound that had awakened her. The sharp, tremendous pop of a gunshot.

She pulled her knees up into her chest and waited till morning when Ralph returned; pale and alone.


	9. Alice and the Hunter

Shafts of warm afternoon sunlight trembled with dust. Alice opened her swollen eyes where she huddled in the corner of the unfamiliar abode. The blanket of animal fur was black, swallowing her in its sweltering embrace. The sweat was drying unpleasantly between her breasts and shoulder blades. Peeling it off, she tossed it away as she tried to rub the exhaustion from her eyes. She was dizzy from dehydration.

Squinting in the dim light, she realized she was alone in a musty, windowless hut. The ground was soft sod, not rock like the hut where they had been imprisoned. Rising clumsily, she rubbed her arms. The incesant hum of the jungle came from directly outside the thin wooden walls. She noticed a short table. Approaching it, she spied a rough, stone canter filled with water. Without a second thought, she tipped it back into her mouth, the liquid running down her chin as she gulped.

Alice dropped the container in surprise and fell back against the wall as the door to the hut banged open.

"I brought you food."

Alice eyed the young man. Half dressed, he was riddled with thick muscle and stood tall in the doorway. His savage expression was obscured by a fresh layer of blackened clay running up into the Mohawk braided tightly on the crown of his head. She shrunk back as he approached and tossed a couple pieces of fruit and a hank of dried meat at her feet. He did not linger but walked once more outside, leaving the door open to the elements. It was several moments before Alice dared reach for the food.

* * *

Ruarc did not return to his hut on the threshold of Castle Rock before evening. As he strode through the jungle he had come to call home, he noticed the faint light of a fire in the grey twilight.

He entered the hut to find the girl had lit a fire in the center of the room. She stumbled to her feet, alarmed by his entrance. Dark haired and pale, she stared at him with eyes as round as the full moon. He was unimpressed by her obvious lack of heart, as she was trembling visibly and did nothing to hide it. Looking away with disinterest, he turned to his cot by the wall and shed his weapons.

When he glanced back to her, she was cowering in her corner. He tossed another hank of dried meat at her feet as he would a dog. Upon closer inspection, he saw that she was filthy. Snorting in disgust, he turned to the weak fire she had built. She let out a small whine in protest as he doused it.

"You don't want to attract unwanted attention." He instructed brusquely, "Don't light anymore fires."

With that, he threw himself on his cot and fell asleep.

* * *

They continued in a stilted silence for several days. The hunter, with whom she shared the hut, would return home at evening with food for her and fall asleep. He would be gone by the time she awoke the next day.

"Wash yourself." He stated one night before going to his rough wooden cot covered with banana leaves and animal skins.

She looked up in surprise as he tossed her a short sleeved tunic of raw hide. Alice cradled the fabric close to her, trying to ward off the fear that followed the hunter. She wished her sister were there. Hazel never would have been so paralyzed with terror. There were some days where she hadn't left her corner; nearly catatonic with dread.

The next day, it took her the entire morning to gather the courage to venture out the open door of the hut. The hunter had never held her prisoner. She always sensed that he couldn't care less what she did. As she picked her way through the thick foliage, birds calling out strange cries over her head and monkeys chattering territorially at her from branches, Alice soon heard the familiar rush of fresh water.

The stream was large and slow moving; the water a murky, dark green. Peeling off the sweat stained, mud caked clothing that she had worn since the crash, Alice tentatively dipped naked into the water. The river water was lukewarm and the grimy bed sucked her toes beneath the mud. After getting shoulder deep, she ducked under the steadily moving water.

* * *

Ruarc stumbled out of the jungle onto the stream's shore, thirsty from traipsing through the steaming rainforest. As he came to the water's edge, he realized he had forgotten his instruction to his house guest the night earlier. He halted in surprise to see a figure gasping as she surfaced from the dark water. It was the girl that his chief had given him. He didn't even know her name.

She turned, her expression startled as she stared at him on the shoreline, her long dark hair swirling around her white shoulders. The strands floated across the surface, under which he glimpsed the soft swell of white flesh rising and falling in surprise. Ruarc's heart thudded immediately at the sight, his blood running hot in a way he had only felt on the hunt. A rush of sensation he had never experienced exploded in his brain as he desperately tore his gaze away. Flexing his fingers around his weapon, he crashed away through the jungle.

She was a distraction. He couldn't let himself be drawn away from the driving force of his vengeance. Trying to replace the disturbing rush of desire with the image of his dying brother, Eric's murderer still running free somewhere in the jungle, he went to find something to slay.

* * *

Alice did not turn to look at him when he returned that night and he did not speak. Her face flushed with the memory of how he had stared at her naked in the dark river. The air was tense in the small space as he sat down heavily on the cot. His breathing was uneven.

Alice glanced over to see his hands were covered in blood, the paint on his face smeared with gore. There was a gruesome gash across his thick, upper arm. She shrunk back in alarm, the hunter running his stained hands over a nearby hide. He glanced up at her. She was surprised to find his eyes as tentative as her own.

"I am sorry for disturbing you this afternoon."

She was shocked by his admission. Alice had assumed he would not have spoken a word of it.

"It's ok," She managed a nod, "Is that your blood?"

"Animal." He replied gruffly, "Boar."

She lifted a finger and indicated to his arm.

"From one of the tusks." He replied standing and walking over to the nearby table where a canter of river water waited, "It was a male."

Dampening a cloth, he winced as he pressed it to the wound.

"Your paint and dirt will make it worse." Alice found herself instructing.

He looked over at her with a severe glare. She looked down at the hide dress that fell to her knees, running her hands over the soft fabric.

"I have taken care of myself in this jungle for many years without your input." He answered, turning once more to his cot, "If I need an opinion, I'll ask for one."

* * *

The following days, Alice attempted to create a routine. Mornings, she would go to the dark green river to wash her face and hands. She didn't have the courage to bathe her whole body again. After filling the heavy, stone canter from the hut with water, she would bring it back. She then began to tidy the small, Spartanly decorated space.

The first day she did, the hunter only vaguely seemed to notice how his cot had been neatened and the ashes of the cooking fire were swept cleanly away. However, he had not protested so she continued the habit.

Afternoons, she found that a few trees in the area grew what looked to be edible fruit. She would gather them in the clumsily woven basket she found in the hut. Using a sharpened stone, she would cut the fruit. The hunter would return home with meat, either fresh or dried, by evening. They rarely spoke but seemed all too aware of the other's presence when they were together.

It surprised her how separated they were from the rock where the rest of the tribe of lost boys dwelt. Some days, she had considered wandering in the direction of the faint sound of the sea. However, the deep shadows of the jungle outside of her sphere of comfort frightened her away. There were some nights, she would cry silently, shoving her clenched fist in her mouth. The thought of her sister and friends being held captive tore at her heart. She so longed for the sight of Hazel coming through the jungle to gently coax her to freedom.

* * *

Ruarc's arm festered where the boar had wounded him. He went outside and cut away the bandage. He crouched by the hut door, wincing as he looked at the irritated flesh.

"It isn't getting better." He turned to see the girl speaking in the doorway, "Is that why you came out here? So I wouldn't be able to see I was right?"

He grimaced out of pain and anger as he lightly touched the cut.

"There are plants we have found that can take away the rot." He grumbled under his breath, "I'll be fine."

"Would you let me help?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I do not need your assistance." He snapped.

The girl shrunk back slightly in the shadows at his sharp tone. However, he was surprised to see her cagily step forward once more.

"You need to let the infection seep out." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

She approached him as slowly and patiently as one might come upon a wounded, wild animal. He tried to pull away, however found he could not allow himself as she grasped under his arm, lifting the wound into the light. His blood hummed in his ears, the skin sensitive more to her touch than to the pain. His mouth went dry. Steeling his face, he glared at her best he could. He let out a muffled groan as she took the knife from his hand and pierced the swollen wound, letting the green, white pus roll down his arm until the liquid ran clear then red with blood.

"Where are these plants you said you had?" She asked, pressing a clean cloth to the burning wound.

He winced, "Next to the cot in a satchel."

She returned quickly with a canter of water. Through the pain, he noticed her fingers were trembling as she worked. It surprised him that though he had wanted her to fear him in order to keep his distance, at this moment it grieved him. He tried not to notice how the strands of hair loose from her braid fell across his bare skin. He shivered and hoped she would think it from pain. Wrapping a clean cloth around his arm, she tied off the ends. She rose silently, her eyes to the ground as she moved to disappear into the hut once more.

"What are you called?" He found himself calling out without looking at her.

She paused, her back to the midnight jungle, "Alice. Who are you?"

"Ruarc."

"Strange name."

"It is not the one my mother gave me."


End file.
